The Best Golf Courses in Charminster, Dorset, United Kingdom (2025)

What a little gem of a golf course! We visited on a lovely day and I had a lesson with Charlie, who was an excellent teacher, and made me feel at ease. The course has a family atmosphere to it, not intimidating like other places. The little cafe has a beautiful setting and a nice selection of dishes. Shame you're an hour away from is, hopefully we can visit soon!

Mike Dodd and all the junior coaches are fantastic. So welcoming and friendly. My son really enjoys going. They have a workbook with targets to aim for. It helps with focus and strives them to always move forward. It's a beautiful 9-hole course tucked away in Sturminster Marshall. It's definitely worth a visit for a coffee in the club house and chat with Mike.

Tricky little golf course, plays 18, designed around a 9 hole. No par 5's but lots of par 4's (and long ones). T Boxes were difficult to get T pegs into the ground. Lovely and flat course. Such a pretty course to play. Very enjoyable. This was the first time in 20 years of my golfing experiences (and I have played many courses)...that I have ever seen steps into a bunker !! Luckily I didn't have to use them 🙃

Friendly relaxed golf club and great for kids to learn.

Just returned from a one night and two round stay. We had an enjoyable time and the golf course was in superb condition. All three 9’s were a challenge in their own way. All staff were very helpful and the bar staff in particular kept the bar open late in the evening for us, thanks for that. Only negative was the Halfway House was shut both days and during peak times when a lot of golfers wanted a mid round snack.

Played today on their Christmas Golf Special, what a great deal!!! Staff are brilliant, very welcoming and helpful. Course in unbelievable condition after all the storms we have had. Thank you Dorset Golf & Country Club, look forward to returning soon.

We stayed in a lodge which was spacious and well equipped. Just a short walk to the restaurant and facilities at the clubhouse. Indoor short mat bowls,and what looked like a good golf course although we didn't use it

Such a lovely golf club, came here to practice our swing (not very experienced golfers). The range is beautiful and you can hit off real grass, a useful experience when you're a beginner. The putting/pitching course is amazing. Visited the gold shop to look around and the service was really friendly, didn't feel out of place. Wish I was good enough to go out on the green, must be amazing.

Fantastic course lovely greens.made putting so much easier on a true surface

A very friendly welcome from the pro shop on arrival with a good hearty breakfast in the clubhouse with a warm welcome. Weather conditions were overcast with a good downpour after 15 holes,but this did not stop us having a good days golf ⛳️. The course was heavy under foot from the previous day’s ☔️ rain but the fairways were nice to play off if played clean off the preferred lies, as for the greens they are very fast for November and very true. All in all a good away day worth a trip 👍

Had a great day out at Bulbury today. The course is tight in places and very unforgiving if you stray off the fairway. It was in excellent condition. The staff made you feel very welcome and were very friendly.

We try to play a different course each week. This was delightful to play !! Beautiful tree-lined fairways...very narrow in places...lots of par 4's and 5 in the 1st 9. Many undulations, sloping fairways, hills, and doglegs left and right gets you golf fit pushing your cart. Tricky approaches coming in to some "fast & foxy" greens. This 18 hole course has a great layout. Extremely friendly members and staff. The facilities are modern and inviting. We will definitely be back as it was only 20 min from home. What a find. ⛳😁🏌️‍♀️

A lovely golf course, well worth the visit. This course is not the longest if courses, but is nonetheless quite challenging. Researching the layout before attending will help you. Really nice clubhouse and friendly staff. Also a well stocked little shop. A couple of driving nets to warm up, or if you want, a driving range to practice at. If the weather has been very wet, there will be standing water, although the drainage is very good, it can be overwhelmed. I will 100% play here again.

A lovely walk around a golf course with both track and freereign walking. There is also a beautiful pond at one of the ends of the park often with ducks, swans and a variety of birds which is a peaceful place to ponder and watch the beautiful habitat. There are often dog walkers around also, so perhaps a nice walk for them too.

Not played golf here yet but the park is a fantastic place for a dog walk or just a walk or run. There are also cycle trails that pass through the woods. The cafe is now dog friendly in the balcony area...would be nice if there was a indoor dog friendly section for the colder/wetter times.

An amazing place to walk around or just to play golf, plenty of woodland to explore. The park looks amazing if you go in the early hours. If you time it right at the pond you'll see the local Heron.

Fantastic adventure golf. Love this. We had so much fun. We didn't play normal golf but the course looked good and everyone was friendly and helpful.

Great parking, restaurant, driving range and golf shop. Friendly staff. Good atmosphere. Can be very busy as its so well located with such great services

Absolutely stellar experience at this driving range! I've been a frequent visitor lately, and each time leaves me more impressed than the last. The Toptracer technology is great, enhancing the fun and improving my game with precise feedback. What's even better is the flexibility in payment—you pay per basket of balls, so there's no rush to finish. Also, during the week from 8am - 4pm there's no need to book, you only need turn up. Whether it's a post-lunch session or a pre-breakfast swing, this place accommodates perfectly. It has quickly become a top destination for me, and I'll definitely make it a point to swing by whenever I'm in the area. Highly recommend to all golf enthusiasts! Review for yet another breakfast here... I recently had the pleasure of enjoying a Full English Breakfast at The Forest Inn and wow—it was fantastic! As someone who loves a good fry-up, this one truly delivered and set me up perfectly for a great session on the driving range afterward. I went for the Full Dorset Breakfast, priced at £12, and it was worth every penny. It came with two New Forest bacon rashers, two butcher’s pork sausages, eggs cooked to perfection, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, hash browns, Heinz baked beans, and delicious Bakehouse24 sourdough toast. Every element of the dish was cooked beautifully and tasted fresh, from the savoury sausages to the perfectly crisp bacon. To top it all off, I had a lovely latte alongside the breakfast. It was smooth, rich, and complemented the meal perfectly—just what I needed to kickstart the day. The portion size was generous, and the quality of the ingredients really stood out. It was the perfect start to the day, filling me up with just the right amount of energy for my golf practice. I highly recommend The Forest Inn if you’re in the area, whether you’re a golfer or not. Their Full Dorset Breakfast is a must-try for anyone who appreciates a hearty and well-executed fry-up.

I have played the course only twice and it is in great condition the course is very tricky at times but a good challenge. The pro shop is fully stocked with everything the golfer needs. Friendly staff and very helpful and welcoming. Thanks Harley. The food is excellent. Highly recommend ferdown forest for golf or to eat. Thank you to all the staff for all your good work. See you very soon Gary ☺️

Not given the course a go yet but have to give a major shoutout to the pro shop and fitting studio they have on site, came in after a few uncertainties about my clubs. Within a few shots the pro Steve who had been monitoring me very quickly picked up the issues I had with my setup and as he brought up, nothing was wrong in the selection I had both head and shaft wise but all it required to get me striking it much more consistently was to set them up 1* flat which instantly made a change in the flight path of the ball and clearly wasn’t trying to push to replace them like many places I’ve been to have. Also gave much comforting guidance without the typical route some people reading the text book as any golfer is not going to swing or setup the same. All this service including the club adjustments came to a very respectful price, highly recommend them if you’re around this area looking to be fitted or simply after some good advice on your golf game or equipment.